Event

Mali’s Constitutional Court on 8 August confirmed that the presidential run-off election will be held on 12 August.

The court also released the final results of the 29 July first round of the presidential election, confirming incumbent Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s lead with 41.7% of the vote, against 17.7% for his closest rival, main opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé. The court rejected complaints filed by Cissé, who heads the Union for the Republic and Democracy (Union pour la République et la Démocratie: URD), alleging fraud, including ballot-box stuffing and vote-buying. Armed attacks in northern and central Mali around Timbuktu, Ségou, and Mopti during the first round prevented voting at 871 polling stations (out of a total 23,000 nationwide) and election observers from the European Union noted irregularities in the distribution of voting cards.

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